Thing 3

Here goes with the 2nd try. I was almost done with it and my computer froze, so now to start over.I like using social media sites to keep in touch with friends and find out what is going on in the world. I already was a member of facebook, but only did the easy stuff on it. From doing thing 3, I learned that facebook has so much more to offer. I like using this site, it keeps me informed from day to day activities. I never been a fan of twitter, but i know there are advantages to using that site. For me, I would rather use facebook to communicate with people than the phone or face to face. Sometimes you get the answer faster than any other way. Some of the positive sides are easier to communicate, can get ideas from groups that you join, and you can do so much more while you are on the computer. The negative is that all your information is out there for anyone to see. If you are not careful and know what you are doing your information can be accessed for the wrong thing. Students are more advanced with technology and understand the uses of these sites. For some it is easier to learn from these sites than in normal classroom setting. They can look up information on a topic and have all the details discussed in a matter of minutes instead of days. They have access to so much more by using these sites than back in the day. There is interactive learning and if you were absent you will not miss anything if teachers used these sites. All classrooms need to be equipped to encourage this type of learning. I love using facebook, but now I learned new ways to expand its use. I can become a better teacher by incorporating ideas and strategies from the groups I joined. There is always something to be learned and these sites can do it.

Thing 2

WOW!!! There is so much information and ideas web 2.0 provides. It is very interesting to see where technology is taking us in the classroom and in our personal lives. What surprises me is that there is so much available for us to use. There is a wide variety in web 2.0 for anyone to use and be successful at it. It is an eye opener that more and more people are using the web to get information about everything. I hope to learn more ways I can use web 2.0 for my personal and professional use. I can use web 2.0 tools as a way to communicate with students. To bring in information and interaction about any physical actives and health and fitness. Maybe follow a person's journey on cycling, training for a marathon, etc. The students these days are technology oriented and will be able to use web 2.0 in all school activities and in their daily lives. The students will constantly be learning about everything with web 2.0. These tools open new doors for me. I can experience more of what the web has to offer because now I am a minimal user of it. The students can share ideas easier with each other. They can communicate through the web and complete group tasks in a more efficient way. Being able to integrate subjects together will help the students to learn and grow in school. They will have information they need to be successful. The school environment in "A a day in the life of web" can be possible if everyone gets on board and does it. For now at Smithville ISD we need to up to date technology for everyone and more of it. We would have to train everyone on the uses of web 2.0. Which should not be hard. The main thing would be for everyone to use it.

Thing 1

By learning 8 things, I hope to have a better understanding of a blog and how to use it. I would like to use a blog as communication tool as well as something that is fun to use and look at. Creating and designing a blog is not hard, it just takes time and creativity. I liked the information from the day to day activities. It made you feel like you were apart of the learning enviroment. I liked the pictures and videos from some of the blogs. It is a nice way to show what is going on in the classroom and around the school. Some of the blogs had information and pictures about the animals they learned about. I did not like all the extra stuff, like ads, it made the blog look to busy. I like the simplicity of blogs that are easy to read. Having my thoughs and words posted on the internet make me more aware of what I write. I have to make sure of what I am trying to say comes across the correct way. If it is not worded correctly someone can take what I am saying the wrong way. I can create a p.e. blog to communicate with students, parents, and elementary staff. I can use it as an informative tool on health and nutrition. I can post important informaion about what is going on in class. I feel that learning how to create and use a blog is a good thing.